Reliable and low cost of ownership

Reviewer Ratings

Overall Rating

9/10

Value

10/10

Reliability

9/10

Quality

9/10

Performance

8/10

Styling

8/10

Comfort

8/10

Pros: "Gas mileage, reliability"

Cons: "Road Noise, rear power locks"

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 8

"I bought this car in 2006 and it's now 8 years old. I'm pretty pleased with it and have had no major mechanical issues. It's basically a "point and shoot" vehicle. Cost of ownership has been in line with what I expected when I researched the car before I purchased it. Repair costs could probably be even lower since nearly all the work was done at the dealership.
The car gets great gas mileage. Even at 8 years old, it still can get 48MPG on the freeway while driving consistently at 60MPH. Normal driving however is more like 36 highway and 23 city. I like the large windshield and it has decent legroom for a subcompact. Some people don't like the "digital" readout on the dashboard, but I'm fond of it. The trunk has a lot of space and is even more practical with the split rear seating.
Road noise is a problem but I drown it out with the radio--this isn't a luxury vehicle. I don't care for the Daytime running lamps either--they'll turn on if the accessories are on and the parking brake isn't engaged.
The most frustrating thing with the car has been the rear power locks-they've already been replaced twice. I have gone through two sets of brakes and the sway bar link broke recently. Other than that there have been no major issues--certainly none with the engine, pumps, transmission, or suspension (other than the swaybar link).
I'm just an average driver and compared to may last car, the Civic is very responsive, fun to drive and reliable. It has a relatively low cost of ownership and should be a hassle free experience as long as you keep up with the maintenance."

Honda quality and durability are gone!

Reviewer Ratings

Overall Rating

3/10

Value

5/10

Reliability

1/10

Quality

1/10

Performance

4/10

Styling

2/10

Comfort

2/10

Pros: "Handles nice"

Cons: "Worst of the 4 Hondas owned!"

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 1

"I have owned 4 Honda vehicles - this will be my last.
I would rather drive my 1998 Civic because I don't know what will go wrong next with this one. Wind shield wiper motor after 30 months, sun visors that deformed from heat, AC unit had to be replaced, starter had to be replaced, interior finished on steering wheel wore off in 4 years, HVAC lite buttons almost all out. Sad but my 1998 has only needed a catalytic converter at 230,000 miles."

After the car was hit head on at 35 MPH, airbag deployed, State Farm deemed it a total loss.

"We bought our 2009 Honda Civic LX in June of 2010 with 30,000 miles on it. It replaced a 1996 Toyota Camry that had well over 225,000 miles on it. I put over 120,000 miles on it in 4.5 years. I was planning on keeping it for at least 5 more years, but I was hit head on at 35 mph by a girl that ran a red light, totaling the car. I walked away from the accident unharmed, as the airbag and seatbelt protected me. Over the course of 120,000 miles, the only major service performed was replacing the motor mounts at 110,00 miles which seemed a little premature, but a $300 service for 120,000 miles is nothing. Other that that, I put on 2 new sets of front brakes and 2 new sets of tires over the time I had it. I was very surprised at how well the car drove for such a basic econobox. Crisp handling, good steering feel, great fuel economy (always 31+ even with Max A/C and 35+ no A/C highway driving), safety, reliability, smooth transmission. Good car for basic transportation! Only complaint is the premature motor mount failure and fit/finish issues. The black trim outside on the window frames faded and peeled, chrome Honda logo on steering wheel tarnished, grip on steering wheel peeled off, sun visors broke 4 times, hubcaps peeled, weatherstripping around doors did not fit properly. But all those issues were purely cosmetic and did not affect the drivability of the car."